A poem by a student who is part of O.U.R.’s Students Against Slavery program

At age 3, she was sold into slavery.
By who you might ask?
Her own mother you say?
Well they have to pay the bills some way.

A young girl ran away to escape her stepdad’s abuse, only to have an older man put her to use.
“You’re a bad kid” he’d tell her every day.
Only good enough when he had someone who would pay.

At 7, she wasn’t lovable pretty, or special.
Her older brother had taken the form of the devil.
From room to room in the middle of the day, she wished someone would ask “are you OK?”

At 5 years old, he was abused, tortured, drugged, and molested.
He had eventually tried a suicidal method.
And though he lived on to tell his story, he will never regain his childhood glory. 

Men, women, children of all ages: constantly exploited on all of life’s many stages. 

Both men and women take advantage of God’s children.
Using them to gain another couple million. 
They are worth more than the 60, 100 or any price you paid.
Just don’t forget we’re coming for you, so be afraid. 

But to those being held captive,
Know that we are being proactive. 
We see you, we hear you, were following all the tracks. 
One day we’ll be able to bring you back. 

Back to a life that you deem worth living,
And though sometimes life can be unforgiving,
We will help you prosper, learn and grow.
You won’t be a victim in our eyes, but a survivor is how you’ll be known. 

There is light in the works and that light is you,
Whether volunteer or survivor, you can be the glue,
The glue that brings us together, your actions can make the world better. 

Mary Ellen once said, “Carpe Diem till you’re dead”
Be the change you long to see, be the person you are bound to be.